Choapha Supatpha also Swargadeo Gadadhar Singha (?– February 1696), was the twentynineth king of Ahom kingdom, who reigned from 1681 to 1696.^[1] He established the rule of Tungkhungia royal house of Ahom kings, whose descendants continued to rule till the climactic end of the Ahom kingdom in 1826. He was earlier known as Gadapani Konwar and was a son of Gobar raja, a descendant of Suhungmung, and who had become king for twenty days. Gadadhar Singha stabilized the Ahom kingdom, which was going through a long decade of political turmoil and instability. This period saw the ruthless power grab of Debera Borbarua and Laluksola Borphukan's abandonment of Guwahati to the hands of Mughals and oppression via Sulikphaa alias Lora Roja.

Soon after his ascension to the throne, he retook Guwahati and permanently wrested out the Mughals from Assam following the Battle of Itakhuli and established a strong rule of 'blood and iron'. Later during his reign he came in conflict with the Vaisnavite Satras or monastery and persecuted them for a while. He died in 1696 and was succeeded by his son Rudra Singha.^[2][3]

Kinship

By his lineage, character, experience and personal valour Gadapani was the most capable, among the surviving princes, to wield the authority of a sovereign, and pilot the government through hazardous adventures. He was the son of a reigning monarch, Gobar Roja. The latter was the grandson of Swargadeo Suklenmung Gargayan Raja, who in his turn was the son of Suhungmung Dihingia Raja. By his royal and dignified presence, Gadapani commanded the respect of all who came near him. He was reputed for his giant stature, physical vigour, intelligence and valour. Stories are still current about the enormous size of his rings, the unusual richness of his diet, and his voracious and carnivorous appetite. He is said to have strangled a wild buffalo into inaction by merely twisting its horns as it rushed to attack him.^[4]

Reign

Royal Robe of Gadadhar Singha in Bengenaati Satra

Supatphaa, known as Langi Gadapani konwar, was the son of Gobar Gohain who was made the king by Debera Borbarua in 1675. Gobar Raja was the king for only 20 days and was executed after the fall of Debera Borbarua at the hands of the forces of Atan Burhagohain. After Laluk Sola Borphukan had Atan Burhagohain murdered in 1679, he installed Sulikphaa Lora Roja as the king and tried to become the de jure ruler of the Ahom kingdom. He began a campaign to inflict wounds on Ahom princes who were eligible for the throne. To escape this, Supatphaa had to become fugitive hiding in the Naga hills. The area that Supatphaa had fled, maybe somewhere near present-day Mon district is, that was inhabited by the Konyak Naga. During this time his wife Joymoti Konwari, was tortured and killed by the henchmen of Sulikphaa and Laluk Sola Borphukan. The first act of the reign of Gadadhar Singha was the stamping out of the possibilities of disloyal manoeuvres on the part of the nobles. In March 1682, Gadadhar Singha was formally crowned. The Majumdar Barua wrote his name with a golden pen and announced it to the public. The king married the daughters of the leading nobles, and thereby established friendly alliances with them.^[5]

Years in exile

Coinage of Gadadhara Simha (1681-1696), Ahom Kingdom.

Ahom dynasty
List of Ahom kings 1 Sukaphaa 1228–1268 2 Suteuphaa 1268–1281 3 Subinphaa 1281–1293 4 Sukhaangphaa 1293–1332 5 Sukhrangpha 1332–1364 Interregnum 1364–1369 6 Sutuphaa 1369–1376 Interregnum 1376–1380 7 Tyao Khamti 1380–1389 Interregnum 1389–1397 8 Sudangphaa 1397–1407 9 Sujangphaa 1407–1422 10 Suphakphaa 1422–1439 11 Susenphaa 1439–1488 12 Suhenphaa 1488–1493 13 Supimphaa 1493–1497 14 Suhungmung 1497–1539 15 Suklenmung 1539–1552 16 Sukhaamphaa 1552–1603 17 Susenghphaa 1603–1641 18 Suramphaa 1641–1644 19 Sutingphaa 1644–1648 20 Sutamla 1648–1663 21 Supangmung 1663–1670 22 Sunyatphaa 1670–1672 23 Suklamphaa 1672–1674 24 Suhung 1674–1675 25 Gobar Roja 1675–1675 26 Sujinphaa 1675–1677 27 Sudoiphaa 1677–1679 28 Sulikphaa 1679–1681 29 Supatphaa 1681–1696 30 Sukhrungphaa 1696–1714 31 Sutanphaa 1714–1744 32 Sunenphaa 1744–1751 33 Suremphaa 1751–1769 34 Sunyeophaa 1769–1780 35 Suhitpangphaa 1780–1795 36 Suklingphaa 1795–1811 37 Sudingphaa 1811–1818 38 Purandar Singha 1818–1819 39 Sudingphaa 1819–1821 40 Jogeswar Singha 1821–1822 41 Purandar Singha 1833–1838

Cannon captured from the Mughals in the Battle of Itakhuli

Supatphaa's stay in the Naga Hills is shrouded in mystery, for not much is known about the 2 years in exile. However, the hills abound with various lores, folktales, and legends about Supatphaa. The physical attributes of Supatphaa were very robust, charming and very handsome. According to one legend Supatphaa, after the death of his wife Jaimoti, he was heartbroken and had, become very brooding. It was during this time that his well-wishers, in fact, married him a Konyak girl Watling. Sadly though, Watling while coming down with Supatphaa from Konyak territory, died at a place named Naginimora while delivering a child. During his time in exile, his Naga friends had got him married to a very beautiful girl Zinyu. Noted Historian and Litterateur Padmanath Gohain Baruah first characterized a Naga girl Dalimi, in his play Joymati. It was shown that it was this girl that Supatphaa had come into contact while he was in exile. Rup Konwar Jyoti Prasad Agarwala's First Assamese Film also showed Dalimi, as a daughter of Naga chieftain who had fallen for the charms of Supatphaa.

Death

Supatphaa died in February 1696, after a reign of fourteen and a half years. He left two sons, Lai and Lechai, and his elder son Lai succeeded him. Under Lai, who took the name Sukhrungphaa (Hindu name Rudra Singha), the Ahom kingdom reached its zenith. The royal robes of Chow Pha Supatphaa made of gold and a gold umbrella are preserved in the Bengenaati Satra^[8] of Majuli, Assam.

Brown's note on Supatphaa's tomb

Reverend Nathan Brown of the American Baptist Mission, referring to the opening up of the tombs of Ahom kings in Charaideo, wrote:

"The tomb of King Supatphaa at Charaideo, as nearly as we could calculate without instruments, was ninety feet high, and so natural in its appearance that a stranger would scarcely have suspected it to be anything more than an ordinary hill...Thirteen of these royal tombs were dug open during my residence in Assam, and I was told in the flowery language of the country, that when King Supatphaa's tomb was opened 'the backs of three elephants were broken with the weight of the treasures it contained', meaning simply that three elephants were well loaded down."

References

• Gait E.A. A History of Assam, LBS first edition 1983
• Bhuyan, S.K., Early British Relations with Assam, First Edition 1928
• Bhuyan, S.K., Tungkhungia Buranji or A History of Assam, 1681-1826 A.D., First Impression 1933; Published by Department of Historical and Antiquarian Studies, Government of Assam, Narayani Handiqui Historical Institute, Guwahati, Assam.